Terps running back Wes Brown suspended for a year

Jeff BarkerThe Baltimore Sun

One month after a confrontation with police, Maryland running back Wes Brown — the team’s second-leading rusher last year — has agreed to a suspension barring him from campus for the entire 2013 season.

Brown, who had anticipated competing for the starting tailback job, hopes to enroll at a community college to keep up with his studies before returning to Maryland. He accepted the suspension rather than face a university hearing into his conduct, said Jason Shapiro, his attorney.

Maryland also announced Friday that Mike Madaras — a starting offensive lineman last season who attended Good Counsel High School with Brown in Montgomery County — has been suspended for two weeks for an unspecified violation of university policy.

Because the suspension is retroactive, Madaras is eligible to return Aug. 9, according to the athetic department. Another potential 2013 starter, wide receiver Deon Long, was suspended for two weeks during spring practices. The Terps open their preseason camp Monday.

Brown was initially suspended indefinitely for his conduct on July 3. He was approached in College Park by Baltimore police detectives who sought to question him about a non-fatal shooting in Baltimore.

Brown was accused in a police document of shoving a detective and taking off on foot. Although that alleged conduct was not determined to be criminal by the Prince George's County State's Attorney's office, it figured prominently in his suspension.

If Brown reaches certain benchmarks — some related to community service — he will be eligible to come back to school after the fall semester. Otherwise, the suspension will last a full year, Shapiro said.

“We support the University of Maryland’s decision,” Terps coach Randy Edsall said in a statement. “I have spoken with Wes. He accepts the sanctions and understands what is expected of him moving forward.”

Shapiro maintains that Brown is not criminally culpable in the Baltimore shooting. Baltimore police have declined comment because the investigation is ongoing.

A probable cause statement, filed in District Court in Upper Marlboro, says that Baltimore police detective Bradley Hood “stated that [Brown’s vehicle] was the vehicle that was involved in the shooting.”

Brown is from Baltimore, but for at least part of his high school career, he had been living with the family of Bernie and Connie Dancel. The commute to Good Counsel — where Bernie served as an assistant coach — was easier from the Dancels’ home in Ellicott City.

Maryland did not elaborate on why Madaras — and previously Long — were suspended, citing privacy guidelines.

The school’s drug policy for student athletes mandates a two-week suspension for a second positive test.